Diamond Believed to Be the World's Third Largest Unearthed in Botswana
A 1,098-carat diamond, believed to be the third largest on the planet, has been unearthed in Botswana.
The diamond was first discovered earlier this month at the Jwaneng mine, which is operated by Debswana, a diamond company owned by both Botswana's government and the De Beers Group, CNN reported.
The Jwaneng mine - which opened in 1982 - typically produces between 12.5 million and 15 million carats of diamonds per year, according to Debswana.
The new discovery is believed to be the third-largest diamond in the world, after the 3,106-carat Cullinan stone found in South Africa in 1905 and the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, which was discovered in 2015 by Lucara Diamonds in Botswana, Reuters reported.
On Wednesday, the large gem was presented to the country's President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, by Debswana Diamond Company's acting managing director Lynette Armstrong.
"This is the largest diamond to be recovered by Debswana in its history of over 50 years in operation," Armstrong told the outlet. "From our preliminary analysis it could be the world's third largest gem quality stone."
"We are yet to make a decision on whether to sell it through the De Beers channel or through the state owned Okavango Diamond Company," Armstrong added.
Source: people.com